2. Contact Info

3. Dealer Selection

About one Monday morning a year, I am presented with a vehicle signout sheet that leaves me completely dumbfounded. And not like, “Is there really nothing cool this week?” but more like, “How did these five stellar cars possibly land in El Segundo on the same day?” Yes, just a single week out of 52, the stars align, the 405 sea of gridlock parts, the front-row parking spot stays open, the cup of organic Sumatra is more like orgasmic Sumatra, and the mother of all signout sheets graces my desk. Like the odds of getting dealt a killer poker hand, a 5-car-stud week is extremely rare.

Naturally, I feel excited and giddy. But the most recent one wasn’t a teenager’s wet-dream list, with such nameplates as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin. No, this fantasy sheet hovered closer to earth: five cars that everyday people, with some hard work and a little fortune, could very well attain.

My first car of the week was a $51,775 Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTEC — in my humble opinion, the finest midsize family sedan available today. A Teutonic vault on wheels, the E diesel (and we all know diesel and Mercedes go together like bread and butter) comfortably accommodates five adults, yet easily squeezes its chiseled body into a compact parking spot. Its 3.0-liter oil-burner doles out 400 pound-feet of torque at 1600 rpm, so merging, passing, and even showing off are all at your beck and call. Yet it returns 33 mpg on the highway, which, when multiplied by the 21.1-gallon fuel tank, equals a cruising range of 696 miles. Better still: For a short trip to 60 mph, expect a wait time of just 7.5 seconds.

The $75,440 Lexus LS 460 Sport came next. Like a 25-year-old Suntory whisky, the LS Sport is the best blend of Japanese power and sophistication. Brembo brakes, 19-inch forged wheels, summer Dunlops, sport-tuned air suspenders, and paddle shifters join the already impeccable craftsmanship, refined 380-horse V-8, and seamless eight-speed auto to deliver a quiet-and quietly amazing-luxury/sport sedan that can reach 60 in 6.0 seconds and erase it in 119 feet.

Ever heard the phrase “wagon bullet train?” Wednesday, as I roused 556 supercharged American horses, it shot past my consciousness. Cadillac‘s $64,290 CTS-V Sport Wagon is the fastest, most powerful wagon for sale in the U.S. It’s also the best-looking wagon and the sexiest CTS-our 2008 Car of the Year-period. The fact that it comes with a delightfully deft Tremec manual transmission is the icing on the cake. And the 58.0 cubic feet of cargo? The sprinkles.
Thursday brought me another exceptional wagon, the $31,820 Acura TSX. Athletic yet unassuming, the TSX Sport Wagon melds those enviable Honda Accord values (powerful and efficient four-cylinder, lively chassis, roomy interior) with the upscale accoutrements, warranty, and gravitas of the Acura badge, all wrapped in a useful, handsome four-pillared body. Ideal for the working mom, active dad, or anyone within a two-commitment radius, the TSX wagon epitomizes versatile fun.